1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a sliding door guide for motor vehicles, in particular vans and utility vehicles, comprising carriages and sliding rails, in which an upper, lower and central rail contain the door so that the door is flush with a side panel of the motor vehicle in the closed position and extends beyond a side of the side panel when open.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sliding door guides for motor vehicles are familiar and available on the market, in particular for vans and utility vehicles, and comprise carriages and sliding rails, in which an upper, lower and central rail contain the door. In its closed position, the door slides flush with the side panel of the vehicle and in its open position the door extends outwards beyond the side panel of the vehicle. When the door opens and closes, it essentially slides parallel to the side panel.
Familiar types of sliding door guides, sliding and guide rails are generally centrally mounted on the outside of the motor vehicle's side panel, which are concealed behind the door. Other guide rails are mounted at the top and bottom of the doorway. This means that the door is held at the top, in the middle and at the bottom.
A disadvantage of this widely-used type of mounting and guide mechanism is that the sliding rails for the central guide are mounted on the outside of the vehicle. This considerably impairs the vehicle's design and appearance and moreover demands the use of a particularly expensive materials owing to the direct influence of weather conditions on the sliding rails. Rust-free steel is usually used here.